It was a wild week in the NFL, and if you love parity, then you were likely thrilled seeing the action over this weekend. Numerous top teams fell to “inferior” competition, which was good news for a Kansas City Chiefs roster that has, to date, unperformed expectations coming into the season. In fact, after sitting in the basement of the AFC West for almost the entire year, the team is within a single game of first place.
That’s not to say the Chiefs are over the hump or even out of last place. That’s just how competitive things are these days in the NFL and specifically in the AFC. The Las Vegas Raiders, who are up next for the Chiefs in Week 10, lost to the New York Giants and have found themselves embroiled in drama for the last month. That fall from grace has allowed the Los Angeles Chargers to take over the divisional lead by a half-game, but with the Denver Broncos win, everyone involved is within a single game of the other.
But that’s happening elsewhere, too, in the AFC. The Buffalo Bills have allowed the New England Patriots to creep back into contention in the AFC East after they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Yes, the Jags. The Cleveland Browns decided life is better after releasing Odell Beckham Jr., and they were able to push the Cincinnati Bengals down the standings a bit.
The NFL Power Rankings are out after Week 9.
Even those who won endured close games. The Ravens barely made it past the Vikings in overtime, and the Chargers outlasted the Eagles in the fourth quarter. With all that in mind, let’s take a look at the latest NFL Power Rankings with Week 9 in the books.
Over at ESPN, the Chiefs jumped two spots after taking out the Packers at home, which keeps them at No. 13 overall. That would classify them as an above-average team but keep them out of the realm of contenders. Given the close nature of the game and the absence of Aaron Rodgers, that feels fair.
The Ringer’s Danny Kelly is much higher on the Chiefs, and if you’re still bullish on the team’s talent yourself (like I am), then you’ll agree that Kelly is onto something here when he has the Chiefs at No. 9 overall. Kelly has sorted the NFL’s better teams into “Top Shelf” and “The Contenders” and the Chiefs are second-ranked on the list of contenders.
The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer feels much the same way as Kelly as he has the Chiefs back in his Top 10 after knocking off the Packers. He writes, “A grinding victory may have been just what they needed to raise the defensive pop, knowing bigger offense will come soon.” The same can be said of Yahoo! Sports’ Frank Schwab who has the Chiefs at No. 9 and seems concerned about the team’s ongoing offensive struggles. Matt Verderame of FanSided agrees here with the top 10 ranking.
Still, not everyone is so keen to put the Chiefs back in the NFL’s top teams. Ryan Dunleavy at the New York Post has the Chiefs just on the outside of the top 10 at No. 11. Pete Prisco has the Chiefs ranked in the same place (No. 11) in his list for CBS Sports.
Suffice it to say, the Chiefs’ recent wins have them back in fringe contender status with NFL analysts with a chance to pull themselves into a division lead next week against the Raiders (and depending on what happens with Chargers vs. Steelers).